American in Paris, An (DVD)

Synopsis

"An altogether delightful musical holiday." --"Halliwell's Film & Video Guide"

Gene Kelly, producer Arthur Freed, director Vincente Minnelli, and an ace creative team conjure sheer screen magic, one of the American Film Institute's Top-100 American Films.

Kelly plays an ex-GI (Jerry Mulligan), a carefree young artist in post-World War II Paris, who loves the city and loves even more an alluring (but engaged) perfume-shop clerk named Lise Bourvier (Leslie Caron in her beguiling screen debut). She's a lonely French shopgirl engaged to marry a successful entertainer unless Jerry can convince her otherwise! From their first on-screen meeting to the spectacular ballet finale, Kelly and Caron are superb. And in his role as Jerry's best friend, pianist Oscar Levant keeps the action lively with his droll humor and acid wit.

Dance sequences spun around famous George Gershwin songs accent Kelly's romantic pursuit. And the final seventeen-minute ballet--combining the title symphony, impressionist set stylings, and Kelly's unique talent for telling a story in dance--lifts this winner of six Academy Awards including Best Picture into the ether of timelessness. "Love Is Here To Stay" (as Kelly sings). So is "An American In Paris."